Secret Police: ‘Maybe he just forgot’: Scotland Yard’s incredible excuse for police officer being spotted without ID during street protest

Scotland Yard was at the centre of a political row today over officers covering up their identity numbers.

A number of officers are openly defying direct orders by Met Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson to display the number on their uniforms.

Among them is the police sergeant suspended after he was caught on camera with his epaulette covered while attacking protester Nicky Fisher in the wake of the G20 demonstrations.

A series of pictures show uniformed officers breaching rules which state that they should be ‘identifiable at all times’.

A Met police officer monitoring the Tamil demonstration is seen without the epaulette which should bear his number

One officer was caught without his ID number within hours of a direct order by Sir Paul to the entire force that they must all wear them on duty.

A d v e r t i s e m e n t

The officer, part of a team securing Tamil protests outside the Commons, also refused to identify himself when asked.

Police officers are expected to have their IDs on display at all times

He only put on the epaulettes when a Territorial Support Group sergeant intervened.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said the officer did identify himself in the end, adding: ‘The officer did make his numbers visible when instructed by a senior officer.’

He said: ‘The problem is when the officers change their uniforms and forget to put on their shoulder badges. This was probably the case here.’

Today there were fresh questions over Sir Paul’s leadership of the Met, already in crisis since the death of Ian Tomlinson, who had a heart attack during the G20 riots after being pushed and struck with a baton by a masked officer.